Katrina at 20

20 heroic tales of people helping animals 

as told to Sandra Sarr, LSU Vet Med strategic communications

Ky Mortensen, chief operating officer, Alamo Pintado Equine Center

“I think anyone’s first reaction to this level of natural disaster is always a moment of awe and disbelief. And then, “Ok, now what?” You start with the basics of how to tackle the immediate impact, trees in the road, power out, water everywhere, and then you realize it is more. A lot more. And it isn’t just your street, your town, not even just your state. It isn’t just people. Given my affiliation with LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the calls from horse owners started coming in; concerns for the well-being of horses that were left in the path of the storm. Like any attempt to try and help, it cascaded quickly. And what started with a quick drive down the road to check on two horses at a client’s house grew into a full-scale equine rescue of over 500 horses. There was an outpouring of support from the LSU team and literally hundreds of volunteers that showed up with the offer of facilities, equipment, hay, trucks, trailers, and a ‘can do’ attitude. Reuniting a horse with its owner was the biggest reward. 

I think as much awe and disbelief as the disaster brought, it was countered with a level of love and support that would rival that impact. You couldn’t undo it. The storm came, and the damage was real, and the only thing anyone could do was start taking steps forward, however simple, small, and even futile as they may have seemed at the time, one attempt to help turned into thousands. It was a tough lesson in many ways on a lot of different levels, but all I really remember is people’s kindness, their charity with their time, their talent and resources. It was a privilege really, to walk through that aftermath with a team and a community that embraced the difficult moment and made it something we can look back on and feel good about. As bitter as it was, there were some sweet moments in there.”